For All is Vanity by Robert Cowan

We’re all living day-to-day, taking everything for granted. Then one day, usually on some dull Tuesday afternoon, comes the news that changes your hum drum life forever. It’s the diagnosis of cancer or the unexpected death of a relative, a sibling, a lover.
It’s walking along with a head full of the daily minutiae and suddenly you fall and it’s a broken ankle and weeks of struggle.

A series of terrible events changes Jack Laurence’s life forever and he must learn how to cope with them and find the light on the other side, but will he? He descends into the darkness of addiction, madness and hatred. Seeking revenge upon those that do wrong in the world.

Robert Cowan has excelled himself here. This book has a raw, visceral emotional brilliance that captivated me throughout. As expected with Robert’s sometimes playful style it’s not lacking humour but it’s as dark as a pint of Guinness. The story is told in two styles and that’s all I’m prepared to reveal here but this gives more power when things start to go wrong for Jack. Stunning, powerful, brilliant. Five blood drenched stars.

Ersatz World by Richard Godwin

Ersatz World is a deliciously weird novella. I expected nothing less from Richard Godwin whose writing is always different and always compelling. Ersatz World was no exception. 

Samuel is a publisher who believes that e-books are eroding literature. His wife's odd behaviour is a worry and his best selling author has gone missing. Sam's paranoia quickly descends into what feels like madness and the lines of reality start to blur.

What follows the first few chapters is something truly different and I found myself ever more bewildered and yet gripped at the same time. Godwin has a real talent for sucking you into a story and I found myself finishing this fantastic novella the same day I started it.

If you read closely enough I believe Godwin is trying to teach the reader a lesson about our gadget reliant society but do you have courage to listen? Top marks for a great read.

On the Seventh Day by Mark Wilson

I've always enjoyed fiction that portrays supernatural or divine entities as if they were people. I'm thinking Pratchett & Gaiman's Good Omens, soMe of Tom Holt's fiction and films like Dogma. So I was looking forward to Mark Wilson's novel.

It differs from the aforementioned works in that it is more sweary, adult and perhaps more cynical.  However, this gives it a more cutting edge for me. Wilson tells his tale from a number of perspectives including that of Jesus and Moses who have returned to Earth in order to try and save the human race. The cynical response they get from people is the source of much of the humour in the novel and feels as close to reality as it's probably possible to get in this kind of novel.

If you're easily offended by swearing and sexual references then this probably isn't the book for you. However, if you can look past that then you'll enjoy this book. In his own way Wilson tackles a number of deep philosophical ideas, albeit with his tongue firmly within his cheek. Interesting, funny and thoughtful. Read it.

When the Music's Over by Aidan Thorn

I've been a fan of Aidan Thorn's writing ever since I saw a story of his in an anthology from Byker Books. I've been following his work since then. What I like about When the Music's Over is that it is unashamedly British. I've seen so many English author's trying to replicate the high quality U.S. noir fiction they've obviously read and love. The author knows his roots and it comes across better because of it.

Another thing I like about this novella is that we get to see a large part of it from the perspective of the hit man that has been hired to take out our hero. The killer is a well-drawn character who acts tough and talks tough but has some very human failings. He's confronted with his own mortality in the form of an illness and he finds that this is changing his perspective on things and hampering his ability to do his job. Given his failing health will he be able to close the hit and take his pay out? This is question I asked myself a lot as I read this story.

The story flow smoothly and the imagery the author created was effective and compelling. A thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining short read that was told from a refreshing perspective.

Number 13 Press have done an excellent job in assembling top quality novellas in this series and Paul Brazill's offering is no exception. They say home is where the heart is....if you're a character in a novella by Paul D. Brazill that heart will probably soon be removed and by a gangster with vicious intent! However, home is where Mark Hammonds, former member of the briefly famous band, Blue Coronet, heads when his chips are down. In this case Seatown is home a place described by the author as being awash with kebab shops and seventies theme bars.

If you've read any of the author's work before you'll know what to expect and that is a motley cast of characters with crazy nicknames such as Bryn Laden, Tuc Plenty and Captain Cutlass. You'll be expecting dry humour and jokes to come flying at you like bullets from a gun.

Brazill delights in torturing his main characters and Mark Hammonds is no exception. He gets beaten, threatened, chased by bikers and generally abused throughout the course of the story as he heads blindy from one disastrous scenario to another all in pursuit of the green folding stuff. As always with all of this author's stories it's entertaining, witty and always a fun read. A great crime caper that is a steal at the price. Five stars.

Carpet Diem by Justin Lee Anderson

If you locked Tom Holt in a room with Douglas Adams, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett with a PC and gave them Tequila for long enough the resulting novel would probably be something like Carpet Diem.

The permanently befuddled main character Simon is extremely reminiscent of Adams Arthur Dent. I liked him immediately. It's clear that Justin Lee Anderson is also a fan of some of the greats I mentioned above.

Carpet Diem has everything that the fan of comic fantasy could possibly want. We have angels, demons, witches, assassins, pirates and ninjas! There is a deadly battle that will decide the fate of the world and our hero Simon must step up to the plate and make the final decision about who will be the victor. Confused? You will be. I loved it.

Satan's Sorority by Graham Wynd

New beginnings are tough. So it is for Sandra, dragged to a Connecticut University against her will by a disapproving Father following what is referred to simply as an incident.

Sandra is shy, quiet and naive. She's an innocent and socially awkward girl. The last place she'd feel welcome is a rowdy sorority.  However, her new room mate drags her along to choose one. She's naturally drawn to the outsiders, the mysterious Sigma Tau Nu and their beguiling sexy leader, Trixie.

Having read some of Wynd's shorter fiction I had a good idea what to expect.  I wasn't disappointed.  Dark humour, the occult, loss of innocence and sex are all themes that featured strongly in this novella. Wynd has well developed, intelligent and believable characters. The flow of the story is perfectly paced with no overly verbose passages which made all the action and tension so much more effective.

The novella is not for the faint of heart with a couple of quite graphic scenes and sexual references, but these are neither gratuitous or overdone. I read through the quickly - a sure sign that it's a thumping good read. Top marks here Wynd is a talent I'd love to read more from.